1) Convince a whole lot of people that there is eternal bless and/or torture on the line, in ways that they cannot immediately comprehend, confirm, or explore.

2) Convince them that the world is evil, that their senses and intellect can deceive them, and that above all they must resist or ignore skepticism in the realm reserved for faith. No matter how crazy shit gets, they are not allowed to be skeptical.

3) Convince them that there is a class of enlightened people (the priesthood) who can serve as guides in the path to salvation. Give this priesthood an absurd degree of authority (explicit or implicit, in their own capacity or in theory on behalf of something greater) over everyone else. Remember, skepticism is forbidden!

4) Rather than making this priesthood actually enlightened, make them subject to the same messed up urges as the rest of humanity. Force them to deny, repress, and hide these urges. Bonus points for making these repressed urges something deeply wired into us, such as sexuality. Do this at the same time as you place them in positions of obscene power over a great many people.

(22-11-2014 11:25 AM)Reltzik Wrote: 1) Convince a whole lot of people that there is eternal bless and/or torture on the line, in ways that they cannot immediately comprehend, confirm, or explore.

2) Convince them that the world is evil, that their senses and intellect can deceive them, and that above all they must resist or ignore skepticism in the realm reserved for faith. No matter how crazy shit gets, they are not allowed to be skeptical.

3) Convince them that there is a class of enlightened people (the priesthood) who can serve as guides in the path to salvation. Give this priesthood an absurd degree of authority (explicit or implicit, in their own capacity or in theory on behalf of something greater) over everyone else. Remember, skepticism is forbidden!

4) Rather than making this priesthood actually enlightened, make them subject to the same messed up urges as the rest of humanity. Force them to deny, repress, and hide these urges. Bonus points for making these repressed urges something deeply wired into us, such as sexuality. Do this at the same time as you place them in positions of obscene power over a great many people.

5) Grab some motherfucking popcorn.

6) Tap dat ass!

Gods derive their power from post-hoc rationalizations. -The Inquisition

Using the supernatural to explain events in your life is a failure of the intellect to comprehend the world around you. -The Inquisition